watches for the weekend. that storm system is wreaking havoc in dallas. just outside the city, heavy snow and ice trigger asthma rena roof collapse. check out the view for drivers in southern illinois today. they encountered near white-out conditions. the slickness caused several vehicles to run off the road. this is the scene in oklahoma city where you can see cars, even trucks slipping and sliding. right now, here in washington, the rain is coming down hard and this is just the beginning of a messy weekends ahead. we are kicking things off tonight in storm center 4 with chief meteorologist doug kammerer. the rain we are seeing on the radar behind us is round one of a one-two punch. >> the second bunch is going to have the potential to knock us out and could knock out your power. the rain is making its way into the area. the snow to the west.

this is not the snow and ice that's going to affect us, it's around the washington, d.c. area, the rain through the day today. now, storm team 4 radar showing where the rain is in montgomery county, howard county and fairfax. most of it on the lighter side. the heavier rain is in the martinsburg area and i-81. it will stay all rain tonight. over the weekend, the cold air moves in. we have a winter storm watch in effect. potential, one to two inches of snow and ice around i-95 corridor. two to four inches to the west. it may be a little high. we'll talk more about that later on. right now, all eyes are on sunday afternoon. guys? >> all right doug. two corruption cases are shaking the d.c. police department. an officer is being investigated for prostitution. pat collins was in court with the officer facing child important charges and asked d.c.

police chief cathy lanier what it means for the department. >> reporter: teenage girls, cops, accusations of bad behavior, the consequences, hurtful. two seventh district police officers, one charged with taking naked pictures of a 15-year-old girl while he was on duty. another cop has his apartment searched after a 16-year-old girl says he tried to get her involved in prostitution. two cops, two cases, hurtful to the image and confidence of the d.c. police department. >> so many police officers come to work every day and put their life on the line for absolute strangers and never give it a second thought. one action like this tarnishes all of us. itis devastating for all of us. >> reporter: the stanton road apartment case. according to court documents, a

16-year-old girl said a cop here took naked photos of her, gave her the prostitution nickname juicy and arranged for her to engage in sexual attacks. the cop that lives here has not been charged. investigators are trying to verify the teenagers story. this is what neighbors are saying. have you ever seen the young girls coming and going from that apartment? >> sometimes. >> reporter: were you suspicious? >> he said it was his nieces. >> i was like whoa, the police are the ones that hurt the kids. >> reporter: now to district court and police officer mark washington. he's charged with taking pictures of that 15-year-old girl. on his camera, the prosecutors say they found naked pictures of at least two other individuals who appear to be minors. now in court today, a judge said officer washington can get out on bond, if he puts his house up

for collateral. if he stays in that house 24/7, if he wears a tracking device so officials know where he is at all times. the earliest this could happen would be monday. live in northwest, pat collins news 4. right now, we are going show you a live picture of the national christmas tree down on the ellipse. >> just minutes from now, the first family will switch the big switch. the president is not the only v.i.p., we hear, but st. nick is coming, too, right? >> hey, mark. >> reporter: st. nick is going to be here. the preshow is under way. everyone is bundled up. it's windy, rainy and cold. people are in good spirits. you can see on the main stage, the san francisco rock band

train is about to kick things off. after they perform, the president and first family will flip the switch to light up the 91st annual christmas tree. after that, more than an hour of music including aretha franklin, mariah carey. thousands of people are already here. thousands more are filing in, going through security. again, it's a cold and rainy night. people are bundled up. they came repaired, are happy to be here. you want to stay with us because when the switch is flipped, we'll bring it to you live. that's the scene at the lighting of the national christmas tree. mark segraves, news 4. >> thank you, mark. there have been many tears, but south africans are also singing and dancing in emotional celebrations that continue outside nelson mandela's home in johannesburg. president obama will travel there to take part in events to

honor his life. the country is planning a public memorial on tuesday. his burial takes place the following sunday. several memorial events are planned here in washington, including an official service next week at the national cathedral. shomari stone joins us live from the south african embassy in northwest washington with the latest from there. >> reporter: good evening. right now, i'm standing outside the embassy and i'm in front of the ten-foot statue of nelson mandela unveiled two months ago. let me move out the way. it continues to grow with the flowers and a lot of folks tell me they are concerned a lot of people aren't coming tonight due to the weather. it's worth mentioning folks are honoring the iconic life of nelson mandela. >> it's a -- gosh, i want to say a happy sad. >> reporter: she has mixed emotions at the south african

embassy over the death of mandela. he died at 95 years old. >> i don't think he would want us to be sad, you know, he lived a full life. a great life. he was a wonderful person. >> reporter: she along with hundreds of people from d.c., maryland and virginia have stopped by to drop off flowers, candles, notes and photos to honor him. he touched their lives with his heroism and some silently reflect about how he helped the oppressed and spent 27 year in jail in his fight against apartheid. >> i'm sad to hear of his passing. i'm happy i'm here in d.c. to pay tribute. >> reporter: you can look here and see this large display. it says celebrating the life, legacy and values of nelson mandela. william brought his fourth grade class to the memorial for their social >> i feel responsibilities as a

teacher to make sure his messages are related to my students. >> reporter: mayor gray will push to teach about his struggle for justice and peace. >> i want to be able to work to get into the curriculum of our schools a unit that will focus on nelson mandela. >> reporter: you are now looking at a live picture inside the south african embassy. you can see the picture of nelson mandela. there is a table there. on top of that table is a book where people are, you know, sending condolences and writing down their names. that book is going to be sent to south africa to nelson mandela's family. they will begin prayer services each night until next tuesday and they are going to start at 7:00 to 8:00 here at the south african embassy in front of the statue. people are going to come here to pray. live on massachusetts avenue, i'm shomari stone, news 4. back in the 1980s, d.c.

delegate eleanor holmes norton was a protester who helped spur support for government reform in that country. today, she said his rise to lead the country was a victory and inspiration for anyone, anywhere. >> there's not a lot to mourn if you consider the life he lived and his gift to the world. we always mourn for the passing of one of the great men of our time. in south africa, they are dancing. they are jubilant because they understand their freedom is a straight line from his sacrifice. >> norton also said she plans to take part in the observances to honor his work. pope francis sent a telegram to the current president of south africa. he expressed his condolences and

prays his example will inspire south africans to put the common good before political aspirations. italian newspapers and tourists are expressing their respect for mandela and sadness at his passing. you can read what former u.s. presidents and current congressional leaders are saying by going to www.nbcwashington.com. you can also see photos of mandela from throughout his life. still ahead, making another step closer toward a casino in prince george's county. the plan that came out on top today. >> reporter: messy now and it could get worse this weekend. i'm adam tuss telling you what the local road crews are getting ready for, coming up. another live look right now down on the ellipse. that's train performing. we are going to be right back with more coverage live as we wait the first family's arrival and santa claus, too. the crowds are building. we are waiting for the b

we are live on the ellipse as we await the lighting of the national christmas tree. comedian, jane lynch of "glee" is warming up the crowd awaiting the president's arrival. and the big flicking of the switch on the national christmas tree. the national christmas tree

lighting is happening just in time because weather conditions will get much worse this weekend. nasty out there now and raw, too. the department of transportation in d.c., maryland and virginia are gearing up to pretreat the roads before the rain turns into snow and ice. adam tuss is live in bethesda with the latest on their average there. adam? >> reporter: jim, it's been a sloppy day all day and things could get really interesting. let's give you a live look here in river road in bethesda. the rain has been coming down all day. we have a mist here now. once the rain stops and the roads dry up, they can absolutely start pretreating the roads here. but, we do expect things to get really interesting on sunday. go back to you, i hear we have the national christmas tree lighting. back to you. >> we are waiting on the lights, but the first family just arrived on the scene. >> to count it down, we are going to start at five.

>> yeah, let's do five. since it's wet we shouldn't start at 10:00. everybody ready? >> yeah! >> five, four, three, two, one -- >> whew! ♪ >> she's a 20 time grammy award winning and freedom recipient with honorary doctorates the queen, aretha franklin! ♪

♪ ♪ joy to the world, the lord is come ♪ ♪ let earth receive her king ♪ let every heart, prepare him room ♪ ♪ heaven and nature sing ♪ and heaven and nature sing ♪ let heaven and heaven and nature sing ♪ ♪ heaven and nature sing ♪ joy to the world ♪ let men their songs employ ♪ while fields and floods

♪ rocks hills and plains ♪ repeat the sound and joy ♪ repeat the sound and joy ♪ repeat, repeat the sound and joy ♪ ♪ repeat the sound and joy ♪ oh, yeah, yeah ♪ joy ♪ oh, yeah ♪ joy, joy to the world ♪ joy, joy to the world ♪ he ruled the earth with truth and grace ♪ ♪ and makes the nation's prove ♪ the glory of his -- >> the queen of sole, aretha franklin after the president flipped the switch on the national christmas tree. franklin is part of a parade of

stars performing this evening. others are the ada brothers, mariah carey, jenelle and latin singer, prince royce. >> wow, that tree can surely brighten. looks like fog out there. it's thick at the ellipse. >> it's a beautiful tree. >> we were talking to adam tuss about the impact of the roads. thanks for bearing with us. let the president interrupt you. >> reporter: jim, jim, jim, how can i compete with aretha franklin? what you did see down there was a lot of umbrellas and people the fog and rain, a bit of a mist in bethesda. the road crews are ready for what could be coming this way on sunday. >> we are definitely feel there's something to this storm. >> reporter: in terms of straight talk from road crews, that's about as real as it gets. steve says the wheels are

already in motion. >> snow, you can treat a lot easier. ice is hard to do. it's the most treacherous and sometimes, black ice, you can't see it. we have our -- we are actually mobilizing. we'll be at high level two, 600 or 700 vehicles out on the road. >> reporter: the maryland state highway and d.c. department of transportation getting game plans together. christmas is getting closer and people need the weekend days to get their shopping done. road crews expect a lot of people to try to cram it in tomorrow. some drivers okay with it all. >> reporter: you heard about the snow? >> yeah. >> you heard about the sleet? >> heard about the sleet. >> reporter: the rain? >> heard about it. >> reporter: he's not hiding his feelings. >> i want a nice long, two week vacation of snow, snowmageddon. >> reporter: not sure if that's on tap, but the real taste of

winter precipitation is coming. back here live along river road in bethesda. coming up at 6:00, do you remember there are redskins and ravens games on sunday, the same day this storm could be coming. we'll talk about tips to get to the games in the winter weather. adam tuss, news 4. >> it's what they call a perfect storm, sports storms. >> we have all this rain, first of all, then what? >> then the snow, rain, icy mix that is going to come. going to the redskins game is going to be okay. coming home could be a problem later on in the evening. let's talk about what's happening outside. the national mall and along the ellipse, we are seeing rain. most of it is on the lighter side. just really more of a nuisance rain. the heaviest rain just off to the north and west. if you are toward southern maryland, you are dealing with a little in the way of fog and rain. it's on the storm team 4 radar.

then some steady rain in and around the district and fairfax and portions of virginia. the heaviest rain to the north, martinsburg and winchester. i-81 and i-70. what we continue to see is the rain throughout the region. more of that throughout the night. this is a big storm. we are talking storm number one. look at all the snow and ice back toward the west. up to three inches of ice from this storm down toward the west. for us, this one will just give us rain. we are not talking about any of this snow coming through our area. could it end with snow? possibly, but we are not going to see accumulation with it at all. 46 is the temperature in d.c. 43 in leesburg. these are the reasons why we are not going to have problems. temperatures well above freezing. they stay that way through morning, then the numbers come down. let's go through future weather. this is important. this is the critical time. 6:00 tonight, not a lot going on, just the rain.

again, we can deal with rain. here is where the chilly breezy conditions come in. early saturday morning as the rain moves off. just plain cold tomorrow. we'll see sunshine but tomorrow is on the chilly side. not a frigid day, but on the cold side. not that bad for a saturday. here is sunday. snow coming in around 11:00-12:00. then freezing rain for just about everybody especially west of i-95. if you are west of i-95 and the blue ridge, this is going to be a big factor as far as ice is concerned. not snow, it's ice. this should be a rain event for you. may start with snow. mostly rain along i-95, notice, this is always the marker to the south and east. more rain, less problems. back to the west, we could see big problems. leesburg, gaithersburg, heads up in that area. frederick, winchester and martinsburg, we are looking at the potential for significant icing.

the storm watch is not for the snow. in is not two to four inches of snow, it's two to four inches of snow and ice. the d.c. metro area, one to two inches of snow and ice. we have a snow watch for sunday. sunday will be one messy day. 43 on saturday, 33 on sunday with the snow and ice. then rain on monday, a high of 45 degrees. tuesday, we go back to snow, although it's not a big deal. we are not worried about tuesday. that will usher in colder air wednesday, thursday and friday. highs only in the 30s. if yesterday felt like 70, the next couple days, winter is here. >> thank you, doug. the celebration continues down on the ellipse. we are expecting to hear from the president in just a little while. we'll bring that to you live as soon as it happens. also, if you see something, send something. the new message for smartphone users in virginia. it's family affair on the basketball court. down at george

a very impressive start to the college basketball season for george washington university. >> jason pugh is here to tell us about this family affair. jason? >> the head coach is all about basketball. his biggest supporter not only

loves the game as much as he does, but she's there through good times and bad times. family and basketball, two things that have always been important to mike. that's why at every home game you can find his wife mag gi in the stands with their five children. >> they knew he was a coach, but i don't think they realized what kind of level until they get to the game and see all the people and the excitement and see daddy acting different on the sidelines than how he acts at home. >> game day, he acts like a college coach. his wife isn't hard to hear. >> mag gi has one of those voices that even in a loud crowd, i can hear her. i do listen. i listen to what she says. she has good words of wisdom. >> reporter: she is a coach at heart. when she left catholic

university, she was -- >> reporter: mike says he plans to return the favor. >> i would like to see her get back in when the kids are older and maybe i can be mr. mom for awhile. i do the laundry every night and stay up until 2:30 doing laundry. it's a big deal. she doesn't appreciate it. >> he messes up my system and it makes it more difficult. he's got clothes all over the place, but he does try to help. >> i do the laundry. >> he took out the garbage once last week. >> i used to mow the lawn but she said my lines were crooked. >> he used to miss spots. >> time is money. i would rather spend the time with my children. >> reporter: for now, he will stick with what''s good at. they face maryland. maggie and the kids will be there cheering on dad. guys? >> thanks a lot. the next half hour, was it a

tragic case of bullying? questions from a grieving family after a 13-year-old girl's suicide. >> reporter: we just spent the day inside this building. experts argue who should get the license in prince george's county. i'm tracee wilkins. we'll tell you who came out on top. a live look at the ellipse. this is jenelle monet singing for the national lighting of the christmas tree that took place awhile ago. we are waiting to hear from the president who will speak to the crowd later in the hour.

i'll fast forward through the headlines. at 5:30, a judge ruled d.c. police officer mark washington can be released from jail if he surrenders the deed to his house and stays on house arrest. he faces child pornography after seeing naked pictures of a teen on his phone. another d.c. police officer is under investigation in a possible prostitution case. he's not been charged. don't be surprised if you see snowplows on the road. d-dot says they will begin road treatments this evening. temperatures will be dropping to near freezing this weekend which could turn the rain into snow and ice by sunday morning, just in time for holiday shoppers, church goers and football fans to hit the slick roadways. and a look at the crowd and the tree down on the ellipse. where the president flipped the switch a little less than a half

hour ago. the rain has been steady there all day but certainly not dampening the holiday spirit. the crowd came with their ponchos. the president took the stage and other stars will take the stage including mariah kacarey who is the big finish. >> what a show. let's turn to doug kammerer. it looks, as we mentioned, misty and foggy. is it raining down there? >> yeah, they are seeing rain there. they will continue to see the rain throughout the event. it could get heavier for the evening hours. it's sunday time frame where we have the winter storm. i'm going break it down for you. i have new graphics coming up at 5:45. the question on a lot of minds across the region. where will a new casino be built and how close to the beltway?

today, the commission in charge of selecting the location took a big step in it. tracee wilkins is live at national harbor, one of the locations in the running. >> reporter: we are at national harbor because the consultants told the gaming commission they like this site most. they like the potential for growth, they like the way the proposal works. they like this location, but they like that, all the road access to getting here. today, consultants put mgms p proposal ahead of the others. >> mgm is closer to everybody in the marketplace. >> reporter: three are vying for the final gaming license. mgm, penn national and greenwood racing in fort washington. mgm is proposing a $925 million

casino report with 3600 slots, 140 table games, hotel, theater and restaurants. greenwood racing is offering an $800 million parx casino and spa with 170 table games, hotel rooms an event facility, eight restaurants and lounges. plus, offering 100 million dlarls for roadway improvements. penn national is offering a $700 million casino, hotel event center, nine restaurants, lounges and bars, 100% of the profits go to health care and teachers in the county. >> more slots does little to enhance the attractiveness and generate. >> reporter: they said mgm will make the most money annually

meaning more money for the state. mgm is projected to make 713 million a yoor. penn national gaming, $560 million a year, parx $682 million. this is by no means over. the final vote is going to happen at the end of the month. what the experts were saying is these few minutes apart driving from the beltway and making rights and lefts to get to the other casinos could impact the cost. coming up, we hear from the other casinos, what they have to say. i'm tracee wilkins, news 4. for the third year in a row, the crime rate is falling in prince george's county. at a community meeting, today, the police chief said violent crime is down 15% this year. since 2010, they have seen a 27% drop in property crime. there have been fewer homicides this year compared to last. the chief says, that's not enough. >> 2000 through 2010, we average

126 homicides a year. last year, 64. this year, we are under that number. we have a lot of work still to do. the chief credited some of the reduction in crime to getting more information out to the public. a prominent northern virginia republican says tonight he hopes a statewide meeting of virginia republicans will lead to more unity in the badly divided party. corey stewart appearing on wamu radio saying concerntive republicans will continue to lose races if they focus on divisive social issues like last month's elections. >> when push comes to shove, you have to focus in on the core priorities of leadership, in the case of local government, education, transportation, public safety. >> keynote speaker in hot springs, virginia is texas

governor, rick perry. a fire chief is sentenced to two years in jail for fraud and embezzlement. estimated at $140,000, bo taylor was the chief. prosecutors claimed he submitted false invoss for repair work and bought items on a prince william county public school credit card. the u.s. park police has a new top cop. robert mcclain is the acting chief. he succeeds teresa chamber who is is retiring after 35 years in law enforcement. he most recently worked as the commander for homeland security and oversaw operations here in d.c. and new york. he's been with the park police since 1991. just in time for the holidays, not one but two mystery donors come to the rescue. how they helped a church without heat. we are just hours away from an easy way to get to and from

baltimore on the weekends. looking live at the ellipse, there she is. a beautiful tree. lit about 20 minutes ago. the show continues. we are waiting to hear from the first lady who will read 'twas the night before christmas and the president will speak after that.

back live now with the tree lighting ceremony on the mall. here is the ellipse, rather. that's the tree, the 28 foot tall colorado blue spruce president obama lit about a half hour ago. we are waiting to hear him speak. in the meantime, they are continuing with the program. the first lady is going to read a story for the children. we'll hear from jazz player sandoval, a rretha franklin wil be back, then mariah carey. a church had 1,000 gallons of heating oil stolen. tonight, police tell us a mystery donor refilled the tanks. a company donated oil. when another came to make a donation, they found out the tanks had been filled back up. investigators think the thieves

struck just before thanksgiving. so far, no arrests in the case. expect delays if you plan to take metro this weekend. crews are working on all the lines. starting tonight on the blue line, the arlington cemetery station will be closed. buses will replace trains between rosalynn and the pentagon. you will only be able to get to the arlington cemetery station by bus via the pentagon station. everything should be back to normal monday morning. tomorrow, another option if you want to take a weekend trip up to baltimore. marc will offer a new service on the penn line. nine trips saturday and six on sunday between d.c. and baltimore. marc says fares will be $7 and weekly and monthly passes will be honored. well, again, the national christmas tree is all lit up. a live look right now. >> the first lady is reading a story with a sesame character. she's reading to the kids.

>> and momma in her ker chief and i in my cap just settled down for a long winters nap. >> i threw over the shutters and opened up the sash. >> is moon on the breast of the new fallen snow gave a luster of midday to objects below. >> when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny deer. >> with a little

like the down of a thistle. i heard him explain. >> 'twas the night before christmas. talk about a trooper. the rain is coming down. we are waiting to hear from the president. they are running about 10 to 15 minutes behind. stay with us. the show is just getting started. was a 13-year-old virginia girl bullied to death? that's the question grieving family and friends are wonder g wondering. jackie bensen has more. >> reporter: at the funeral home in herndon where a viewing for her was held, there were no smiles. no one told funny stories about the deceased. there was a crushing sense of grief and dispair. something terrible had broken

the spirit of the 13-year-old girl described as bright and bubbly, an excellent student with a lovely singing voice. my stepdaughter took her own life sunday afternoon due to bullying. i want awareness increased. i do not want her to die in vain. >> it hurts really bad. we wish she could be here and we all wish we could have found a way to get her back. >> reporter: her classmates school, say her death profoundly but the entire community. >> we all care about our children, faith and our own and all of the -- many of the children are saddened isn't the right word. >> reporter: inform aftermath of her death, the school had grief counselors in place. they say they will continue to make counselors available to the

students as long as they are needed. in herndon, jackie bensen, news 4. >> school officials didn't immediately respond to the comments about bullying. when is the rain going to stop, doug? >> overnight tonight into early tomorrow morning, then it picks up where it left off on sunday. we have one day in between. take a look outside where currently at the airport, they are dealing with rain. that's what we are going to see for the rest of the night. 46 degrees, winds northeast at 9 miles per hour. northeasterly winds are going to play a huge role in our forecast. storm team 4 radar showing the rain across the area. prince george's county, northern virginia seeing the steady rain. it's on the lighter side. give yourself extra time. to the west, that's where the cold air is. we are seeing the cold air move in. most of this should be out of here early tomorrow morning. don't be surprised if you live

toward southern maryland, the rain lasting through 8:00, 9:00, 10:00. what about the snowfall from the next storm? i'm thinking a dusting to an inch along the i-95 corridor. that's it before it changes to rain. to the west, one to two inches. higher elevations of the blue ridge, montgomery county, frederick county could pick up to three inches. the snow is not the big issue. it will be the ice especially west of i-95. if you live in these counties, this is all of northern virginia, all the panhandle of virginia, montgomery county, frederick county and maryland. if you live in these areas, this is what you can expect. if you live here, snow to ice, ice accumulations a tenth to half inch. that is a lot of ice. because of that, we are worried about a couple things, first off, icy roads. secondly, branches or trees down. we think we will see power

outages. if you live west of i-95, prepare for power outages. make sure you are ready. they could last monday, too. high temperatures sunday of 33. monday, we get to 45. some areas monday morning could be quite icy. we could see a few delays early on monday morning. i don't think we'll see many cancellations. we could see delays on monday morning. the cold air, it sticks around. 40 on tuesday with a chance of light snow. then it's just cold wednesday, thursday and friday. winter making its presence known early. >> so, are poinsettias toxic to your pets? when you have a rebate, do you get charged tax on the original or discounted price? is it worth it to get the l.e.d. holiday rights instead of the traditional ones? time for ask liz. the first question comes from

e-mail and emily is wondering, liz, if the popular poinsettia plant is actually toxic to her pets? >> we found your answer at the american society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. the poinsettia plants are not. the deadly flower's legend has them to be. it doesn't mean you want your pets to eat them. consuming poinsettia's may cause mild gastrointestinal problems. keeping it out of your pets reach is a good idea. the next question is from ralph. he's been out holiday shopping, bought a tv that came with an instant rebate. the store charged him a sales tax on the original price of the tv instead of the discounted price. he's wondering why? >> why is that? the comptroller of maryland said the tax you pay is based on the type of coupon or rebate you use. typically, if you use a

manufacturer's rebate, pay the sales tax on the price before the discount is applied. if you use a coupon for that store, then you pay tax on the price after the coupon is applied. >> interesting distinction there. a maryland viewer wants to know if it's worth it to get the l.e.d. holiday lights instead of the traditional ones? >> we turned to the u.s. department of energy and they said there are many benefits to using the l.e.d.s over regular holiday lights. l.e.d.s can help save you on energy. the u.s. department of energy estimates you will save 60% on your electricity costs to light a six-foot tree over the holidays. consumer reports found l.e.d. lights run cooler and it means you can use them on plastic and glass instead of the glass bulbs. this makes them more durable and

pose less of a fire risk and l.e.d. bulbs last longer. most of them will lost more than 4,000 hours. you could still be using the same bulbs in 40 years. how about that? they cost more, but it might be worth it. if you have a question you would like us to consider for ask liz, send it to us. >> wow, they will outlive just about any christmas decoration. >> yeah. nice to know they will be still lit. >> good to see you. >> thank you. let's go back to the ellipse and rejoin the national tree lighting ceremony where we have renee fleming performing on stage. ♪

see something, send something, that's the message virginia state police are putting out to smartphone users. rolling out an app to prevent crime. david culver spoke with some who support the new tool but worry about losing their privacy. >> reporter: spend a few minutes in a crowd and no doubt, you'll find a handful of people on cell phones. we found them here at potomac mills in woodbridge, virginia either making a call or more likely, sending a text. >> it's a quick snap and go.

>> reporter: virginia state police catering to the smartphone population to get crime tips. they rolled out a new app, see something, send something. >> it gives us instant information to be able to respond to prevent criminal activity. >> reporter: the campaign is hitting the air waves. >> see something suspicious? snap it and send it. >> reporter: state police are promoting the effort, they say local law enforcement will have access to the ups as well. officers from falls church, arlington and prince county on hand to support the launch. >> first concern, privacy. >> reporter: some see the benefits to the community, but worry about tracking. >> they now have your cellhone number, they have your information. >> reporter: state police say they don't actively track users and promise if the information collected is not useful, it will be deleted.

>> there is no archiving of tips or maintaining a data base. >> simple and convenience. everyone has an iphone now. >> reporter: in woodbridge, virginia, i'm david culver, news 4. right now at 6:00, it's not winter yet, but we are preparing for the first taste of snow. >> how crews are gearing up for the blast arriving this weekend. >> plus, about 40 minutes ago, the first family flipped the switch on this blue spruce on the ellipse. the president is about to speak at any moment. good evening, i'm jim handly in for jim vance. >> i'm doreen gentzler. we start with a double whammy. we are expecting snow and ice. here is the scene to the west of us in arkansas, people saw ice and snow. the same system is headed our

way. there's already a winter storm watch in effect for our region. we start with chief meteorologist doug kammerer monitoring it. hi, doug. >> it's going to be a busy weekend. we are dealing with a one-two punch. punch one is coming in the form of rain. >> this is a storm system that is going to impact sus a large air yachlt. >> right now, we are dealing with the rain. storm team 4 showing the rain in northern virginia montgomery county and prince george's county. most of it is on the lighter side. we will continue to see this rain right through the night tonight. the heaviest is still to come. if you are going out tonight, make sure you take your umbrellas. you can see frederick and gaithersburg, leesburg, this is all rain and will stay all rain. with the first round, all rain is what we see. back to the west, we are seeing snow. this is the colder air moving in. we will not see any of this snow come through the ar